1. The Need for a Statewide Lake Water-
Level Monitoring Network
Paul F. Juckem, Dale M. Robertson,
and William J. Rose
Lakes Partnership Team
Meetings.
Feb. 3-4, 2010
Westin, WI
5. Historical Water Levels
Anvil Lake
Are the fluctuations
natural or
anthropogenic?
Shell Lake
3 billion gallon diversion
Fish Lake
6. Historical Water Levels
Anvil Lake
Are the fluctuations
natural or
anthropogenic?
Shell Lake How has lake water
quality responded
to fluctuations?
3 billion gallon diversion What are the best
management options
Fish Lake (diversion, alum,
septic pumping)?
7. Statewide Lake Water-Level
Monitoring Network:
Objectives:
• Establish a long-term lake-level monitoring network to
evaluate trends/cycles in various regions of the state.
Emphasis will be on relatively natural seepage lakes,
which are most responsive and can give indications of
regional changes in climate and hydrology.
• Establish baseline conditions for environmental studies
and comparison with short-term results.
• Provide information to increase the understanding of
different lake hydrologic systems and how they respond
to climatic drivers.
• Provide a framework and protocols for facilitating lake
water level monitoring by citizen volunteers through the
Citizen Lake Monitoring Network (CLMN) program.
8. Requirements of a proper
monitoring station:
Coordination and Consistency:
• Water levels must be read in a consistent manor
throughout the year.
• Levels must be run from the gauge to an immovable
datum, so levels remain consistent from year to year.
• Reference points must be established in case the datum
is destroyed.
• A history must be maintained of how a new datum
relates to a prior datum.
15. Water Level (1 – foot interval)
Which Water Level is Correct?
16. Statewide Lake Water-Level
Monitoring Network:
Next steps:
• Choose a core set of lakes:
– Historical data
– Natural hydrologic drivers
– Representative distribution across the state
17. Lakes with early water level
Long
records in the USGS database
Amnicon
Big
McKenzie
Yellow Anvil
Shell Connors
Morgan
Bone
Pine Rib Wheeler
Boot
Emily
Bear Pickerel
Winnebago
Long
Lake Type Fish
Irogami Cedar
Seepage Lake
Drainage Lake Silver Little De Neveu
Green
Altered (diversion, augmentation) Devils
Fish Pine Beaver
Mendota & Ripley
Monona Koshkonong
North Eagle
Turtle Browns
18. Lakes with early water level
records in the USGS database
Long
Anvil
Morgan
Pine Wheeler
Boot
Emily
Bear Pickerel
Long
Lake Type Fish
Irogami Cedar
Seepage Lake
Silver Little De Neveu
Green
Pine Beaver
North
19. Statewide Lake Water-Level
Monitoring Network:
• Next steps:
• Choose a core set of lakes.
• Identify local observers.
• Establish datums / verify historical datums.
• Install and survey water level gauges.
• Develop a protocol for data collection, reporting
and data archiving
Phase Two:
• Link these index lakes to Citizen Lake
Monitoring lakes
23. Detailed Lake Studies Conducted
Round E. Eightmile
by the U.S Geological Survey
Whitefish Lac Courte Mercer Little Rock
Oreilles Dead Pike Muskellunge
Lac du Flambeau LTER
Shell Minocqua Little St.Germain
Kirby
Balsam Silver Red Clara
Lake St. Croix Cedar
Cedar
Primary Areas of Study
Green
Nutrient Budgets / Eutrophication
Cedar
Water Level / Eutrophication
Aeration / Eutrophication Devils Pike
Pesticides / Trace Metals Fish
Hydrology Crystal Fowler
Groundwater Graber Whitewater,Rice
Wind
Delavan Powers Lauderdale
Geneva
McCook
24. Tracking a Datum History:
The first lake stage
Datum height = 100ft
Staff reading = 0.10ft
Offset = -5.00ft
Official lake stage = 95.10 ft
25. Tracking a Datum History:
The WL & Staff Gauge Move
Datum height = 100ft
Staff reading = 0.24ft
Offset = -6.00ft
Official lake stage = 94.24ft
26. Tracking a Datum History:
The Original Datum is Lost
How to tie the new and historical stages?
Need to measure the offset between
the old datum and new datum before
the original datum is lost.